the sun has to set sometime
by furyofthetimelords
Summary: Trish is a Siren, but Jessica's always been something special.


_Who is everybody's best friend? It's Patsy!_

By J.C Bendis

I'm not usually one for children's shows – after all, I've long since aged out of the target audience – but with the unheard of rise in popularity _It's Patsy_ has been getting, I was curious as to what the fuss was all about. What about this show has gotten people so hooked? Why are even my adult friends – and not just the ones with small children – are willingly waking up in the early hours of the morning on a weekend to watch this show?

Last week, I decided it was time I saw what all the fuss was about – so I got up in the early hours of the morning, poured myself a large cup of coffee and sat down to watch the show.

It didn't take long before my interest was held. There was just _something_ about it that hooked me and made me, tired as I was, sit up and pay attention. I was perfectly prepared to write a scathing article on how much I hate modern television and the stupidity of the masses, but I'm not writing that article.

I don't know if you could call a show like this revolutionary, but it certainly is _something._ The on-screen presence of Patsy Walker is hard to look away from. I felt like I was a kid again – so wrapped up this character's world that I never wanted to leave.

Of course, a show this wonderful has always got some kind of lurking drama – there have been many outspoken individuals calling for its cancellation as rumours fly. I've seen the message boards and every tin-hatted conspiracy theorist spewing their theories.

People have accused Patricia Walker of being a supernatural – specifically, a siren. They're claiming there's no talent involved and it's all just magic. But should we really care about that, even if it is true? Patsy has inspired a whole lot of kids, and there's nothing inherently political about the show. It's kids fun – and we should let it stay that way.

This isn't about anyone's agenda, or political outlooks. This is a children's show, and we should treat it as such. Leave the politics out of it and let people _enjoy_ this small gift.

 _It's Patsy is on Channel 5 at 7/8c every Saturday morning._

/

"Cut!" the director called out, his voice ringing out across the set. He turns to Patsy and smiled brightly. "Hey, Pats, can we try that one again? From the top everyone!"

"Sorry," Patsy said, feeling a flush of shame. She'd been working so hard, but the words just kept tripping her up. Maybe by someone else's standards, she'd be doing fine, but the director wasn't cutting her any slack.

"It's fine, sweetie, we'll try one more time," the director said, though he didn't sound like he really meant it. All around him, people rushed about and moved people and objects back in their places. Once it was all set anew, Patsy found herself standing back on her first mark and mentally prepared herself for the scene.

From the side, she could see her mother looking on. Normally, her mom didn't stay too long in the actual shoot – there were usually too many meetings, but today seemed a little less busy. Patsy couldn't decide if she was relived or not at her mom's presence.

"And, Action!" the director called out and slipped on his earphones. All around him, people did the same – even the craft service people at the back of the room.  
Patsy let herself slip back into her other self – the charming girl next door everyone loved to see on TV.

Rating had never been higher for _It's Patsy_ , but Patsy herself just wanted to stop. She hated being here – standing in the bright light and reciting lines. Sure, she might have been good at it, but anyone could act, really. Once, she'd tried to ask her mom if they could stop – maybe take more than an end-of-season break for once? But her mom had just pursed her lips and reminded Patsy about their old home – the one bedroom apartment in Hell's Kitchen that used to always smell funny and the power was out more often than not.

Patsy never argued long after the old home had been bought up. There just wasn't any point - being TV Patsy was what she did now.

"Alright, that was a good one," the director called out. "Great work, Patsy."

Patsy nodded, feeling a rush of pleasure at the praise.

"And that's a wrap, everyone," the first assistant director said. "Pack up and let's get home."

After that, Patsy was whisked away by various people where she was undressed and re-dressed in her regular clothes, fed an apple, and then sent back to her mom.

"Good work, sweetheart," her mom said. "You weren't so good there, but that last take saved the day. Thank god Alfie is such a good director!"

Patsy bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything else. She'd long since given up on the idea of crying, and arguing always earned her a bruise. So, silence was it.

It was in moments like this she wished she really _was_ TV Patsy – the girl with the cool parents, great friends and a wholly perfect life. Instead she had a mom who liked to get angry with her and pretty much zero friends her own age. There just wasn't time for normal things in her life. It was filming one day, and press stuff the next. She'd done more interviews and photo shoots than she thought possible.

It wasn't entirely bad though – there were days when her mom was actually nice, and being Patsy was _fun_. But those days didn't last, and there was always another terrible one around the corner.

She hoped tomorrow might be one of those good days.

"Darling?" Her mom said softly. Patsy looked up at her. Her mom had a strange look on her face.

"What?" She asked.

"We're going to the hospital."

Patsy's hand flew to her throat. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked. She'd had her vocal tests last month – just to be sure her siren's voice was developing fine and she wasn't going to accidently lure anyone to their death or cause accidental enchantments. It was in her contract – the one her mother had done her damn best to keep out of the public eye – that she had to take these tests. There hadn't been anything bad before, but would now be when it all went wrong?

Her mother smiled. "No, dear, there's nothing wrong with you," her mother said and removed Patsy's hand from her own throat. "We're getting you a sister."

/

 **BREAKING NEWS: Three dead and one in critical condition after a head-on collision on I-95**

/

Patsy wasn't sure what to make of her new 'sister'.

"She'll be good for you," her mom had said, smiling brightly. "The press is going to eat this up. Besides, haven't you always wanted a sister?"

Patsy had, but she wasn't sure she wanted it to be like this – to find some random girl at the hospital and have her mother adopt her ("It's not an adoption sweetie, I'm just looking out for her," her mom had said) so fast. She didn't get it – why did her mother care so much about some stranger's child?

She looked over again to the girl – she was about Patsy's age, with long black hair and pale bruise-covered skin. There were so many cords sticking out of her she looked like some kind of science experiment.

 _We match_ , Patsy thought distantly, pulling at the scarf on her neck, looking down at the bruising on the girl's body. But at least she probably wasn't going to have to cover it all up with make up and scarves.

"Besides, she has no one else now – we _need_ to take Jessica in," her mother said. "Her whole family is dead now."

Patsy's eyes were still fixed on the girl in the bed when she noticed the tear on Jessica's face and the slight shift in expression – she was awake. Patsy's eyes widened.

"Oh shit – she's awake," her mother swore. "I'll call a nurse."

Patsy sat frozen on her chair. She didn't know what to do – was she supposed to say something to her? Or pretend she hadn't noticed anything? She wanted to ask her mom, but she'd run out of the room the moment Jessica had woken up.

She wanted to say something, but all the words stuck in her throat – she'd never really been in the same position as Jessica. Sure, her dad was long since out of the picture, but she'd never known him. He'd died before she was born.

Jessica opened her eyes, and fixed on Patsy.

"Hi," Patsy said softly, not looking at Jessica.

"Hello…?" Jessica replied, and then her eyes widened as she took in Patsy's appearance. Belatedly, Patsy realised Jessica might be a fan. Somehow, that made everything worse.

Before Patsy could say anything else, her mom and a nurse swept into the room.

"How are you feeling, Jessica?" the nurse asked.

"I-It hurts," Jessica replied. "Everywhere."

"Of course, sweetie. You had quite a hit there."

Jessica took a deep breath. "What happened to my family? Are they really dead?"

The nurse frowned, clearly not expecting that. "They are," she said after a long moment.

Jessica nodded, but didn't say anything.

The nurse moved closer to Jessica and began checking all the monitors and equipment around her. "You should feel fine in a minute. Just hit the button if you need any more medication for the pain," the nurse said and held out a small black button attached to a wire. Jessica took it nervously.

"It'll be fine, sweetheart," the nurse said before she left the room.

Jessica didn't look like she believed it. Patsy didn't either.

/

 **Celeb News: Patsy Walker Gets A Sister!**

/

The house was bigger than her old one – but not even the size of her new bedroom could make Jessica happy. Everything felt _wrong_ – right down to the _marble_ sinks (seriously? Who needed that?). More than anything, Jessica just wanted to go home.

Mrs Walker ("Call me Dorothy, please. I'm not my mother"), however, seemed to think Jessica should be grateful for all of this – as if she'd _asked_ to be here.

She guessed that if she were some other girl in her class ( _ex_ -class, she corrected with a lump in her throat) would've been excited about suddenly becoming _Patsy Walker's_ new sister and live in her fancy celebrity house. But she wasn't one of those girls – she'd barely even seen any of Patsy, and now she couldn't escape it.

Dorothy talked about Patsy all the time – but not often to her. At least, as far was Jessica has seen. But despite all of that, the girl herself was still a mystery. . She all but avoided Jessica most of the time, and often refused to meet her eye. Jessica had sort of tried at first, but the moment she'd asked about the scarf that was always around Patsy's neck. And how was _that_ her fault? It was just a freaking scarf. But something about it had made Patsy freeze and then proceeded to avoid Jessica at every turn.

It was a weird way to live, and Jessica wished she could just go _home_ and stay there. But she couldn't go back – not now, or ever. The house was being sold, and Dorothy also didn't think it was a "good idea" for Jessica to go back there. It seemed as if Dorothy thought she could just cut Jessica out of her old life and let her fit neatly into this new semi-celebrity thing. People had already asked about interviews, but Jessica had refused every one of them, even when Dorothy pushed. She wasn't important – and didn't want to be because she was someone's "new sister". That was bullcrap, and she wasn't going to let herself be defined by this strange new family situation. She was Jessica _Jones_ , not Jessica Walker. No matter what the media wanted to believe.

"Jessica?" Dorothy called from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner's ready."

Jessica wanted to tell Dorothy she wasn't hungry, that she'd just go to bed without, but there was no way she'd be able to get away with that. Dinner was apparently "family time", though all that ever amounted to was Dorothy talking about Patsy and giving Jessica weird looks.

Sometimes, Jessica wondered if Dorothy thought she was magical – as if she was something _more_. But she was just human, always had been. Her mom and dad were ( _had)_ been normal people – they worked and did things like normal parents. Nothing about them had been anything more than that.

Ironically, she used to sometimes wish it turned out she'd been adopted and had been _special_ after all. But she wasn't, no matter how much she used to dream. You didn't just wake up with powers. That wasn't how it worked – you were either magical or you weren't.

"Jessica!" Dorothy called again, and Jessica snapped to attention and reluctantly moved downstairs. Letting Dorothy get angry never went anywhere good and usually meant she'd be a total bitch about it.

When Jessica got downstairs, Patsy avoided all eye contact and only barely glanced in her general direction before putting her focus back on the plate of food. She tried not to take it personally, but it was hard. What was Patsy problem, anyway? It's not like Jessica wanted to be here either.

"You're finally here," Dorothy said, not kindly. "Let's begin."

Jessica sat down, and looked at her plate. The food around here always tasted great (the Walkers had a personal _chef_. Jessica hadn't even known that was a thing) and she dug in readily.

It wasn't until she was about halfway through dinner did she realise Patsy had barely eaten any of what was in from of her. Her plate hadn't been as full as Jessica's ("she's on a special diet," Dorothy had explained the first time they sat down to eat), but she hadn't touched any of it.

She watched Patsy closely throughout the rest of the meal. Patsy doesn't look up from her plate – not even when her mother speaks. It's strange to watch, and she's sort of fascinated. This isn't what people usually see when they think Patsy Walker.

"Jessica, honey, are you okay? You're not eating," Dorothy said.

"Oh," Jessica said, and looked down to see she'd barely touched anything. "I guess I'm not that hungry. I'll go to bed."

Dorothy gave her look, but didn't argue. Patsy looked at her for perhaps the first time that whole dinner. It wasn't a pleasant look – she looked jealous. Jessica didn't get it, but she wasn't gonna spend all her time thinking about the weird that was Patsy Walker.

/

 **Celeb News: Patsy's Sister: Bestie or Worstie?**

/

Patsy hated having a new sister.

Jessica isn't anything like she imagined a sister would be. She's sort of mean, and is quiet all the time. She's tried talking to her a few times, but it seems Jessica just doesn't want to be talked to, so she keeps her head down and listens to her mother talk.

"You know, honey, eating a little less at lunch wouldn't kill you," Dorothy said to her during her daily lunch break on set. Patsy froze, a sandwich still halfway to her mouth. She put it back down on the plate.

"Good girl," her mother said. "Look, I should get going – have fun here darling. I've arranged for someone to pick you up later. I have a few meetings to go to."

Patsy nodded, suddenly feeling relieved. "Do I know them?" she asked.

"It's a hire – don't worry, so long as you don't sing at him, he'll be fine," she said and patted Patsy's arm.

"Okay, mom."

"You and Jessica will be on your own for a while. I'll be back late," Dorothy said and then stood up, giving Patsy a hug before leaving. She feel strangely empty after her mother leaves.

The day wore on, and Patsy was so exhausted after the shoot that she almost falls asleep in the car on her way home. Once home, she makes her way up to the gates and unlocks the door.

"Hello?" she called out, not expecting a response. She knew Jessica was home somewhere – the faint sound of rock music echoing through the house was enough of a warning – but she felt better at least pretending like somebody cared.

Suddenly, the music stopped, followed by a soft thud.

Patsy paused for a moment, waiting for the music to start again, but it didn't happen. Slowly, she crept up the stairs to Jessica's room, heart pounding in her chest. If something was wrong, she wanted to know, even if it might mean making Jessica mad.

"Jessica?" she called out. There was no response. Heart pounding in her chest, Patsy carefully pushed open the door to Jessica's roo, and stepped inside.

"Hey wait – no – " Jessica began, but cut off as soon as she saw Patsy standing there.

Jessica didn't seem immediately hurt, so Patsy was about to step back out and apologise until she saw the mess on the floor.

The CD player – bought just last week – was crushed. Not just broken, as if it had been knocked off the table, but completely destroyed, as if had been run over.

"What happened?" Patsy asked.

"Nothing," Jessica said sharply. She looked _mad_. Patsy instinctively braced herself for a swing, but when it didn't come, she felt a little braver.

"Those don't just break," Patsy pointed out.

"Well, this one did," Jessica replied. "Now, get out of my room."

Patsy looked back at the crushed remains CD player. The indent in it looked like it'd been made by a hand, but nobody normal could leave a print like that and Jessica was –

Not normal. Patsy's heart rate picked up. She'd heard about other supernaturals – even seen a few in passing – but she'd never _met_ one. Her mom wasn't one – sometimes the Siren magic skipped a generation – and had done a good job of keeping most of them out of her life. Supernaturals were dangerous and everyone knew it – especially Patsy.

Her mom was always warning her about it, reminding her of the damage the wrong tone of voice could do. She'd been good with it – always trying to keep her voice down, speak like a human and never Sing unless she was recording _It's Patsy_.

"What are you?" Patsy blurted out, the excitement of finally knowing someone else with a gift making her impulsive.

"I'm normal," Jessica snapped. "Now get the fuck out of my room."

"You broke that yourself," Patsy insisted. "That's new, and they don't just break. What else can you do?"

" _Leave_ ," Jessica said.

"You're not the only one, you know," Patsy said before she could stop herself.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at Patsy. "You're lying."

"I'm not," Patsy said. "I'm a siren."

Jessica's eyes widened. "You – _really_?"

"It's –" Patsy began, but unsure if she could say that much. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Do you know what you are?"

"I'm human," Jessica said.

"But you broke the CD player. People can't just do that without some kind of power."

"I'm normal," Jessica said.

"Maybe your parents didn't tell you."

Jessica's eyes flashed angrily. "They didn't lie to me."

"Maybe they were waiting to tell you?" Patsy suggested.

Jessica paused. She looked like she was about to cry and Patsy felt a pang of regret. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

"How did you know?" Jessica asked suddenly.

"Know what?"

"That you're not – hum…normal?"

"I've always been like this," Patsy said. "Mom knows – but she's not like me."

"Are you adopted?"

Patsy shook her head. "No. My grandma was, though. She's dead."

"Sorry," Jessica said.

"I never met her," Patsy said. "But what about you?"

"I didn't know I could do that," Jessica confessed, looking away from Patsy and down to the broken CD player.

"We should find out what you can do," Patsy said. "Maybe we can work out what you are."

Jessica looked back at Patsy warily. "You don't like me."

Patsy hesitated. "I don't know you," she said finally. "You never talked to me."

Jessica shook her head. "I didn't want to."

"But do you now?" Patsy blurted out before she could stop herself.

Jessica took a moment to answer. "I guess so, yeah."

Patsy smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** I've been working on this fic on and off since the start of the year, and I've finally got part one done (after getting severely distracted by Life and Planning) - it was supposed to encompass more time but then it was getting too long and I felt like what's next deserved its own section.

I've got this entire thing planned out and I know how it's going to end. It'll definitely be done before the end of the year (or even sooner - I have A Lot of time off now so fingers crossed).

Also, this fic doesn't have a playlist as such but The John Wayne by Little Green Cars is 100% the theme song to this fic.


End file.
